Editorial: It’s Not About The Messenger, It’s About The Message
The fact that a senior public official threatened our journalists over who the source was raises questions about the importance and credibility of the information provided to our journalists.
Thursday 03 August 2023 | 11:55
Source: https://dobienews.scuc.txed.net/23829/news/why-journalism-is-important/
A senior public official has wielded the sword of intimidation, targeting one of our senior journalists.
The aim? To force the divulgence of a source linked to a contentious document stamped with the official’s own seal of approval.
The weight of this threat is not to be underestimated, for if our journalist dares to shield her source from this senior official, our news establishment could face defamation charges.
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This is not the first time that this certain official has asked one of our journalists to reveal their sources.
A couple of weeks ago, the same senior public official asked another of our senior journalist concerning a different article.
The journalist asserted his right to protect his source to the end.
The official went on to inform our journalist that regardless of the MIDA Act being repealed, it did not give the journalist the power to withhold this information when requested.
But let us cast the spotlight on the crux of the matter, addressing you, Mr Senior Public Official.
It’s not about the messenger. It’s about the message, as a former Fijian journalist and editor, now working in the same industry in Australia, rightly pointed out.
It’s not about how the journalist got the information but about the importance of it.
Attorney-General Siromi Turaga’s statement when he tabled the bill to repeal the Media Industry Development Act 2010 back in April stressed that repealing the law did not mean that media organisations could report on anything and everything without authentic sources.
The fact that a senior public official threatened our journalists over who the source was raises questions about the importance and credibility of the information provided to our journalists.
Our journalists were simply requesting clarity about the issue.
Is it not the duty of the senior public official, as someone being paid by taxpayers, to provide clarity?
Journalists, regardless of which medium they operate, are obligated to protect the names of their sources from public or government retribution.
But if it concerns security and safety issues, that is a different story altogether.
Feedback: ranobab@fijisun.com.fj
